Covid struck England announce squad for Pakistan series

The Coronavirus stormed into the England camp and infected three players and four management staff, forcing the whole white-ball contingent, that was part of the Pakistan series, into isolation. With the ODI series starting July 8, the ECB was forced to announce a completely new squad for the series. The squad will be led by all rounder Ben Stokes and includes as many as nine uncapped players. England coach Chris Silverwood, who is on a break, will rush back to take charge of the new team.

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"England Men have named an 18-strong group for the Royal London Series against Pakistan. The announcement comes after the news that three members of the initial playing group and four members of the management staff had tested positive for COVID-19, and consequently the entire squad initially selected was required to isolate," the ECB media statement read. 

"Ben Stokes will return to the squad to captain the side and Chris Silverwood, who had been due to take some time away during the white-ball series, is back as Head Coach. In total, there are nine uncapped players in the squad," it further added. 

Also read: England camp struck with massive COVID-19 outbreak, three players, four management staff test positive - Sky247 Blog

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Managing director of the ECB, Ashley Giles said that the series is an opportunity for the young players to prove their potential at the biggest stage. 

"It's an exciting group of players, with some young talent and some players who have impressed at domestic level over a long period of time. We're in unprecedented territory, in terms of replacing an entire squad and management team, and I'm very proud of how everyone has come together in order to get it done - both those within the ECB and from the county game," Giles was quoted as saying by the ECB.

England squad: Ben Stokes (captain), Jake Ball, Danny Briggs, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Lewis Gregory, Tom Helm, Will Jacks, Dan Lawrence, Saqib Mahmood, Dawid Malan, Craig Overton, Matt Parkinson, David Payne, Phil Salt, John Simpson, James Vince.

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